He’s back in the TARDIS for another trip of a lifetime. Christopher Eccleston stars alongside a galaxy of stars – including Gerard Kearns (Shameless), Raymond Coulthard (The Muppet Christmas Carol), and Louise Jameson (Emmerdale) – in three new fantastic Doctor Who stories, released today.

The Doctor meets many remarkable people on his travels – those at the forefront of innovation and exploration.

From a deep-space colony ship seeking safe haven, to the frozen Arctic wastes, and the foundation of ideas which will touch the lives of millions – the Doctor is there to lend a hand to the human race’s greatest pioneers!

The Green Gift by Roy Gill

Seeking a new home for Callen and Doyle, the Doctor lands on a vast spacecraft: The Greenwood.

The ship is nearing the end of its long journey but what is the price of this voyage? Who is really in charge? And what legacies from Old Earth might be travelling with them?

Writer Roy Gill said: “It’s always good to be asked to bring back or revisit a character: I take it as a sign that something clicked or went right with the original story! I was really happy to bring back Callen and Doyle, especially. I loved writing them and their dynamic, and I think it was clear that [cast members] Adam Martyn, Harki Bhambra and Chris bounced off each other well in the studio.

“I’ve been lucky to write for Louise Jameson before in The Omega Factor and as Leela – though this is another sort of performance entirely. Hearing her and Chris spar verbally was an absolute joy. They’re both powerhouses of actors!”

Northern Lights by Robert Valentine

The Doctor crashes to Earth and finds himself in the Arctic – but not quite alone. The Aurora Borealis are even more unearthly than usual...

Intrepid explorer Fridtjof Nansen is trying to get home as alien forces close in. The Doctor knows Nansen has a part to play in history – can he save the future?

Writer Rob Valentine said: "Chris is one of the nation’s finest actors and simply getting to write anything for him is incredible, full stop. It’s not something teenage me would have dreamt of happening when watching him in Cracker back in the day!”

“The other thing, of course, is that writing Northern Lights has been an education on a man I previously knew nothing about, and that’s one of the best things about being a writer.”

The Beautiful Game by Katharine Armitage

The Doctor decides to treat himself and attend the historic meeting which founds the football league. But he arrives a week early!

Instead, he must enlist the help of a hotel maid to battle an obsessive alien before it consumes everything that will ever be connected to the beautiful game...

Writer Katharine Armitage said: “Football is etched into my heart. This is partly because of the game itself which I grew up watching and has always filled me with joy and despair!”

“I don’t think anyone in this country has a simple relationship with football: it allows us to feel such powerful emotions, to be part of a mass of humanity, but it also has a dark side which can make you feel very scared and small. I wanted to try to capture some of this in the story.”

Doctor Who – The Ninth Doctor Adventures: Pioneers is now available to own as a collector’s edition 4-disc CD box set (+ download for just £29.99) or as a digital download only (for just £22.99), exclusively here.

Big Finish listeners can save money by pre-ordering all four volumes of the third series together in a bundle for just £108 (collector’s edition CD box set + download) or £88 (download only).

All the above prices include the special pre-order discount and are subject to change after general release.

For a limited time, previous series of The Ninth Doctor Adventures can be purchased up to 50% off here. These exclusive offers expire at 23:59 (UK time) on 14 May 2023.

Please note: the vinyl editions do not include any behind-the-scenes extras. However, listeners purchasing vinyl LP editions will receive a download of the story automatically and be given access to the CD edits as a bonus download. Episodes will be edited specifically for the vinyl format, presented as 2 episodes, one on each side, each with opening and closing music. In addition, all pre-orders of the vinyls will also receive the behind-the-scenes extras as a bonus download.

Big Finish is currently operating a digital-first release schedule. The mail-out of collector’s edition CDs may be delayed due to factors beyond our control, but all purchases of this release unlock a digital copy that can be immediately downloaded or played on the Big Finish app from the release date.